{"id":151702,"date":"2020-02-13T08:24:05","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T16:24:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=120126"},"modified":"2024-09-26T12:49:21","modified_gmt":"2024-09-26T19:49:21","slug":"running-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/running-research","title":{"rendered":"What We Know About Running’s Impact on Mental Health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Scott Douglas started running at age 15, right around the same time he began noticing a chronic, low-level state of depression, though he didn\u2019t have a name for it at the time. While he couldn\u2019t articulate it, he noticed that running had a positive impact on how he felt emotionally. The sport gave him something to look forward to, lifted his spirits while he was out there and left him feeling better after.<\/span><\/p>\n

Today, at age 55, the freelance writer and author of several books\u2014including <\/span>Running is My Therapy<\/span><\/i><\/a>\u2014knows there are real connections between running and happiness. But it took some time to come to that realization, especially since when he was younger, there wasn\u2019t nearly as much attention given to mental illness and the impact that exercise can have on it.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIn college, I joined the cross-country team as a freshman but was the slowest one on the team, and I quit to go find myself,\u201d he said. \u201cBut even though I wasn\u2019t racing, I recognized that I wanted to continue to run, chiefly because of how it made me feel.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Finally seeing a psychiatrist in the \u201990s, Douglas received a diagnosis of a specific kind of depression called dysthymia. By luck, his psychiatrist was also a runner who could appreciate the benefits Douglas experienced through the sport. Douglas takes medication for his depression, but running has had a major impact on his mental health over the years. \u201cRunning helps me to get away from the negative thoughts and that carries over into all areas of my life in a positive way,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like Douglas, Kerri Dellisanti, 44, sees a big difference in her mood when she\u2019s running consistently. In the winter when conditions are particularly dark and dreary, Dellisanti\u2014who lives in Washington state\u2014credits running with keeping her afloat emotionally. \u201cI get out several times a week, even if it\u2019s raining and I don\u2019t necessarily want to go out the door,\u201d she said. \u201cI come home feeling much more ready to face my day.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A mother of three, Dellisanti took breaks from consistent training after delivering each child. That\u2019s when she really began to appreciate the mind-body connection running provides. \u201cI realized I felt very low without regular running,\u201d she said. \u201cI need that outlet or I struggle. I\u2019m shorter with my kids and down in the dumps.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

While her preference is to head out in the morning, Dellisanti\u2019s family schedule sometimes prevents that. In those cases, lunchtime is her chance to run. \u201cI look forward to it all morning and when I come back, I\u2019m more productive and ready to handle the rest of the day,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

Did you know that running produces endocannabinoids in your brain that can lift your mood?<\/p><\/div>\n

Hunting and gathering<\/b><\/p>\n

Douglas and Dellisanti\u2019s experiences with the therapeutic benefits of running are backed by <\/span>burgeoning<\/span> research on the subject. <\/span>Subject matter experts, of course, advise working with your doctor to come up with a medical treatment plan that works for you.<\/span> But, in <\/span>some cases<\/span><\/a> of low-level depression, in fact, exercise has been proven as effective as medication. In a country where one in 10 adults struggle with depression, this is a key finding. Running, in particular, may hit that sweet spot that brings on the feel-good neurotransmitters\u2014leading to the so-called \u201crunner\u2019s high\u201d\u2014to bring on measurable differences.<\/span><\/p>\n

But what is it about running that serves up the right dose of mood-boosting chemicals? Some of it may be tied to evolution. Runner and University of Arizona anthropologist David Raichlen hypothesized and tested<\/span> his theory<\/span><\/a> that humans are wired to be an active, long-distance species. \u201cWe looked at runners, dogs and ferrets,\u201d he said. \u201cThe humans and dogs, who have evolved to run distances, produced endocannabinoids in their brains. The ferrets did not.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Not unlike the cannabinoids in marijuana, those endocannabinoids our brain produces generate both a reduction in pain and a mood-boosting response. \u201cIts adaptive purpose is as a motivator,\u201d said Raichlen. \u201cIt makes you feel good so that you want to do it. The underlying result is that it leads to feelings of well-being in most people.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Figuring out the right \u201cdosage\u201d of running to improve mood and mental health is somewhat individualized and dependent on your fitness level. \u201cThe duration and frequency needed is unclear,\u201d said Raichlen. \u201cThe fitter you are, the longer it may take.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The right intensity level, however, is likely right in the moderate range. A 2012<\/span> German study<\/span><\/a> of the impact of ultrarunning on the brain revealed that the athletes in the 3,000-mile <\/span>TransEurope Footrace<\/span><\/a> experienced a reduction in gray matter\u2014<\/span>neural tissue that helps promote connections in the brain<\/span>\u2014of 6 percent following the effort. Even with that extreme effort, however, the participants\u2019 brains returned to normal after eight months.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the rest of the running world, finding a middle ground on intensity and duration likely provides the most success. \u201cWe found that moderate intensity elicited positive response, but low and high intensities do not,\u201d said Raichlen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other<\/span> research<\/span><\/a> has shown that just 30 minutes of running can improve \u201cexecutive function\u201d in the brain. This is the brain\u2019s ability to focus and tune out distractions. This can be valuable in quieting the brain\u2019s \u201cdefault mode\u201d of mind wandering and negative <\/span>self-generated thoughts<\/span><\/a>, which has potential links to clinical depression.<\/span><\/p>\n

Raichlen also studied how running impacts the brain compared to meditation\u2014fairly similarly, it turns out. As you move along on a run, you begin to tune into the present, shutting out that default mode and becoming more mindful. As with meditation, the payoff here is that stress goes down as your body clears itself<\/span> of enzymes<\/span><\/a> that are linked to mental health challenges.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In writing his book, Douglas also found that there\u2019s a cumulative positive effect to running regularly. \u201cWhen we go out and run, we feel better,\u201d he said. \u201cBut what\u2019s not talked about is that over time, running will lead to structural changes in the brain in the form of<\/span> hippocampus growth<\/span><\/a>.\u201d This is beneficial because research has shown that the hippocampus plays a role in mood; a smaller hippocampus may be tied to depressive symptoms and a larger one can have the opposite effect.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

One study showed that running on trails, versus roads, can offer even more of a mental boost.<\/p><\/div>\n

Reaping the benefits\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

While the links between running and mental health are increasingly clear, it is uncertain if you need to be outside versus, say, on a treadmill to reap the benefits. \u201cOn an anecdotal level, I know the only way I personally get satisfaction on the treadmill is if I do high-intensity work aimed at achieving a goal,\u201d said Raichlen. \u201cBut our studies were conducted on treadmills, so that would suggest there is benefit either way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, there are bodies of research that support \u201cnature therapy,\u201d the value of being outside and in natural surroundings. A<\/span> 2019 study<\/span><\/a> out of New Zealand, in fact, showed that running on trails can be superior to running on roads in this regard. It found that <\/span>off-road running \u201cis a physically skilled, back-to-nature activity, that is useful for managing the pressures of modern life and the unnaturalness of built environments.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Dellisanti added that running on trails makes a difference for her. \u201cGetting out into the woods is helpful for me,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

In spite of all the good news about running and emotional well-being, Raichlen and Douglas caution that <\/span>it shouldn\u2019t be considered a panacea in most cases. \u201cIn our society, we want to find the silver bullet, and that\u2019s not reality,\u201d said Raichlen. \u201cMental health hedges on a combination of factors, including genetics and environment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

From a public health standpoint, Raichlen is a fan of running. \u201cOne of the best things people can do for their mental health is exercise,\u201d he said. \u201cWe know it has benefits and fewer side effects than medication.\u201d Douglas agreed. \u201cI want to eagerly encourage people to run for many reasons,\u201d he said. \u201cMental health being one of the biggest.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Scott Douglas started running at age 15, right around the same time he began noticing a chronic, low-level state of depression, though he didn\u2019t have a name for it at the time. While he couldn\u2019t articulate it, he noticed that running had a positive impact on how he felt emotionally. The sport gave him something […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":72,"featured_media":152011,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[685,10],"tags":[727,2278,692,1376],"internal-tag":[],"class_list":["post-151702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-run","tag-latest-posts","tag-nature-and-health","tag-news","tag-running"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/news\/running-research","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"What We Know About Running’s Impact on Mental Health","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/running-research","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/news\/running-research"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/02\/Running-Mental-Health.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2020\/02\/Running-Mental-Health.jpg?fit=2000%2C1200"},"articleSection":"News","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jessica Bernhard"}],"creator":["Jessica Bernhard"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["latest posts","nature and health","news","running"],"dateCreated":"2020-02-13T16:24:05Z","datePublished":"2020-02-13T16:24:05Z","dateModified":"2024-09-26T19:49:21Z"},"rendered":"